Listing scholarships on PhD applications

[Imaginary]

Would having multiple scholarships from one's alma mater (for an M.A. at the same institution I received my B.A. at 5+ years ago) assist me in my chances of receiving competitive aid with a PhD offer?

If so, what should I emphasize about these awards, or how should I list them?

[TakeruK]

Maybe. I think competitive awards are often granted to the best applicants, regardless of history, so I wouldn't say that having won awards in the past would directly help you. However, one would expect to see a correlation between those who win competitive PhD awards and those who have won awards in undergrad, because if you are one of the best at the PhD level then it's likely you were one of the best at the undergrad level.

 

That said, I do think listing them is still helpful because I think they do help with admissions. Winning prestigious competitive awards is usually an indicator that the student is talented and/or able to win more awards in the future. Both traits would make an applicant desirable to the admissions committee! In addition, there are some awards where winning previous awards would greatly increase your chances. For example, in Canada the major government granting agencies (NSERC for natural sciences/engineering and SSHRC for social sciences/humanities) have awards at the undergrad, masters, PhD, doctoral, and professorial levels. Winning one of the lower level awards and getting good progress reports submitted from your advisor will help you win a future award from the same agency.

 

When I listed awards in my CV for PhD applications, I think competitive awards are valued more. I left things like "Dean's Honour List" etc. out, because that already appears on the transcript. I tried to indicate the "scope" of the award (i.e. was I competing with others in the same department? same year level? university wide? province/state wide? national award?). I also tried to indicate the level of competitiveness / prestige of the award by listing the award value. Some people are against indicating the dollar value though. I tried to keep each award to just one line in my CV like this:

 

2010-2012    Granting Agency Name, Award name -- $X / year

 

Fortunately, usually the granting agency has some indicator of the scope, and with the combination, people who are curious can just google both phrases and find the criteria for the award etc. They don't always have time to look everything up, so that's why I usually provide the dollar amount -- if it's a big number, it might cause them to be more interested in finding out about the award. However, if you are a US student with US awards applying to US schools, then this might not be necessary since your profs will be familiar with the major funding agencies. Providing the dollar amount helps international students with awards from their own countries, or maybe US students with major awards from their own university that might not sound prestigious.

[med latte]

Just wanted to bump this thread....it's a great question.

[Boba felt]

I would absolutely list them, as they show something that might not be obvious in your transcript, and you can't just list items like that in your SOP.  This shows mainly that others have seen potential in you in the past, and awarded you accordingly.  It illustrates a history of excellence within your field that an admissions committee can see very easily.

 

I added a section to my Resume simply titled "Awards".  I listed all outside scholarships, school scholarships, and even Deans List items chronologically from most recent to further back.  I listed the Name of Award with a little blurb to describe.  If a big dollar amount, i put that in the description.  Otherwise I didn't list money amounts, just the date (some spanning multiple years).  That way it was clean and easy to read, but showed my success throughout my academic career.

 

Don't be afraid to show yourself in the best light.  Your Resume or CV is no place to be humble.  I used this approach in my Masters resume 4 years out from undergrad and got accepted into a great school.  I just applied and was accepted into a PhD program, and still listed the same undergrad awards on my resume.  I think it helped establish my academic credentials for the admissions committee.